Venkat Raman
Auckland, September 9, 2024
The process of justice has begun for a bus driver who was reportedly assaulted by a man (reportedly from West Harbour) who was attempting to board his bus.
The driver has been identified as a person of Indian origin and members of the public reacting to the incident on social media have been vociferous in seeking justice.
The New Zealand Police have confirmed having arrested the man who will appear in the Auckland District Court on September 13, 2024.
According to available information, on Saturday, September 7, a bus travelling through Avondale stopped on Great North Road to pick up passengers. One of those boarding was attempting to travel free of charge and was challenged by the bus driver. During this interaction, the bus driver was allegedly assaulted and the offender fled on foot.
Inspector Wayne Kitcher, Area Prevention Manager for Auckland City West Police, said that the offender has been apprehended and will be appearing in Court.
“One of our frontline units was travelling through the Avondale township on Sunday (September 8), when they noticed a man matching the description of the offender. The unit quickly turned around to stop the man. On seeing Police, he attempted to evade staff by boarding a nearby bus and hiding down the back,” Inspector Kitcher said.
He said that the man was arrested without an incident.
“We have no tolerance for violence taking place on public transport whatsoever, and we will continue to prosecute those offenders. No one deserves to come to work and be subjected to harm just for doing their job,” Inspector Kitcher said.
